Building on the Foundation

Cottonwood Cattle has committed to selling their bulls by private treaty for the time being, taking advantage of the opportunity to personally connect with each customer, and ensure that each person gets the best possible bull for their program. “This will be our third year hosting an open house the third weekend in January,” Seth shared. “I can walk out with potential customers to look at bulls, and just have a conversation. Private treaty can be difficult, because it’s such a long process, but it’s really rewarding when you finally sell the last bull out of the pen for the year. We’ve had good success with it over the last couple years.”

Customer relationships are important for all seedstock producers, and are absolutely essential for new businesses. “I believe that at the end of the day, yes, we are in the cow business, but we’re just as much in the people business. We take that very seriously,” Kali said.

Since the purchase of Y76, Seth and Kali have been tirelessly dedicated to growing and improving their cow herd. A Y76 daughter, tag A22, became one of their first donor cows, producing several standout daughters herself. “They’re really productive, efficient cattle. The longevity in them has clearly paid for themselves over and over. They’re just really problem-free cows that are pretty easy to fall in love with,” Kali shared.

Smart genetic decisions have helped them grow. Smart financial decisions have also been extremely important. Most agricultural operations operate with some debt, which varies widely based on the type of commodity, land ownership, equipment needs, and more. Kali’s work with Hurley and Associates involves helping farmers and ranchers understand their financial situation, and how to plan for their future. This work has informed her own decisions as a producer.

Seth and Kali decided early on to run a really tight ship when it came to their finances. “We were pretty young when we started, we didn’t have a ton of money, and had just bought a house. I grew up in a fairly conservative household, and debt was kind of a bad word,” Kali recalled.

“In farming, we know that that’s not the reality. But Seth and I really operated under the mindset that if we couldn’t go out and write a check for it, we weren’t going to buy it. And I’m still proud to say that we’ve developed and put together all of our cows without a loan,” she added.

The Performance Beef software, which is largely marketed toward feeders, has been an important tool. The cloud-based program connects to a bluetooth scale head, tracking the exact amount of feed being used every day. “One of the big areas we found where we were spending a ton of money was just putting feed in front of the cattle, especially in the winter when it’s cold, and not knowing if they’re getting what they need. With the software, we’ve dialed in not only our management practices, but we’ve saved a ton of money in terms of feed costs. At the end of the day, we know what we need to get out of these bulls to make it worth our time,” Kali explained.

While all of their decisions have been well-thoughtout, Seth and Kali admit that there have been plenty of missteps and learning opportunities. “Breeding cows and selecting bulls early on was trial by fire,” Kali said. “We didn’t know what we liked yet, or how we were going to fit into the business. We made some breeding decisions that we look back on and wonder what we were thinking, but we learned a lot from that.”

Now with nine years under their belt, Seth and Kali have a very clear vision of what they want to do in the business, and agriculture as a whole. “We have a focus, and we know where we want to fit in,” Kali said. “We’ve settled on who we are, what we want to be, and what we’re going to stay away from. We’re driven to breed cattle that balance eye appeal and EPD, to better serve our customers and the beef industry as a whole. Finding our place feels really rewarding.”

Three bulls Seth and Kali offered for sale in 2023.

“We’ve settled on who we are, what we want to be, and what we’re going to stay away from. Finding our place feels really rewarding.”

Meaningful Mentors

Kali and Seth are both quick to credit people who have helped them find their footing in the cattle business. Seth’s grandfather, Luverne, has allowed them to manage a group of his cows while building up their own herd. The cow herd and management has been slowly transitioning to them, which has allowed Seth and Kali to build their business, and also call on family for advice. “Grandpa is a very instrumental person for us. He’s been around to lend that helping hand for a while, but now it’s just on us basically,” Seth shared.

Paul and Lois Rydeen continue to provide advice and support to Seth and Kali. Fellow young breeder, Travis Wulf (Clear Springs Cattle Company), has also been extremely helpful. Seth shared, “I grew up with Travis. We’re the same age, and when his family switched to the Simmental breed, it was around the same time that we purchased our first cow.”

Kali added, “If we need someone to give us a rea lworld, honest opinion, Travis is the first person we ask. We may or may not take his advice, but it’s that kind of feedback that makes us all better. High tides raise all ships.”

Tom Hook has been another valuable mentor. They recently purchased a standout female from Tom, tag 103C, successfully flushing her for the last two springs. Unfortunately, she was struck by lightning, which was a big hit. Tragedies like this happen frequently in the cow business, and Tom helped them shift their perspective on the situation. “Seth and I were really down in the dumps after we lost her. She was an older cow, and we talked to Tom about it and he said that even though it’s unfortunate, and not fun, maybe what this does is force you to move on to the better genetics that you have out of her,” Kali reflected. “I just can’t say enough good things about how Tom bred and sees cattle, and I can’t say enough good things about his mentorship either.”

The Hawkins family has also provided a lot of support. Early on, when Seth and Kali needed more bulls

“Cottonwood Cattle is what it is today because of an ongoing list of people who have influenced us, mentored us, and helped us.”

to justify creating a catalog, they quickly jumped on board, partnering in the Cottonwood Cattle sale. Since then, they have been friends and constant supporters. “They’ve been big cheerleaders of ours,” Kali reflected. “Their friendship, support, and partnership hasn’t gone unnoticed.”

Mentorship, and being open to feedback, have helped Seth and Kali progress in the business. “Cottonwood Cattle is what it is today because of an ongoing list of people who have influenced us, mentored us, and helped us,” Kali said.

Keeping an open mind, thinking critically about how each decision will affect their future, and hard work day in and day out have allowed Seth and Kali to successfully launch Cottonwood Cattle. Being first-generation seedstock producers has come with plenty of challenges, but has also allowed them to curate every aspect of their business. “Although we talk about how hard it can be, there is also something very fun about it too. We started with a blank slate, and we aren’t trying to uphold the expectations of a program that has been around for many years. We have gotten to build the program we want, with the cattle we love and believe in. There is something really cool about that,” Kali shared.

without it,” Kali explained. “If we can educate more producers on the value that provides, in my mind, that’s a win. I want producers to have a fantastic experience with the Simmental breed, and hopefully we can keep them as Simmental customers, not just as Cottonwood Cattle customers.”